My mother scoffed and mocked,
"What trouble could he possibly cause? The moment he appears before your grandfather, he'll be executed on the spot."
I hurriedly tossed the mung bean cake back onto my own plate and brushed the crumbs off my hands with a dry laugh, "Then it must be some vigilante, kindly catching him and throwing him back here, I suppose."
My mother grabbed my hand, "Wanwan, come with me to take a look."
"Oh." I obediently followed her out.
At first, my mother walked briskly, but after glancing at my belly pregnant for over four months, she slowed her pace, "He's clutching onto the Ancestor of Foxes' Remnant Soul and refuses to hand it over, yet here you are, taking your time."
"Probably handed it over to Xuanjing, it's futile to demand it, and worrying does no good." I wasn't exactly complacent; I just felt the Ancestor of Foxes' Soul was scattered too far and wide.
It wasn't necessary to become overly fixated on any particular strand; otherwise, how could life go on, preoccupied with the fear of being possessed every day?
My mother, frustrated that I wasn't getting it, scolded, "You'll be crying when you're possessed."
"Hehehe..." Why do I feel that when my mother shows concern, she's as harsh with her words as Yu Longting, yet I also feel a warmth in my heart.
Isn't that what family talks are like, sharp words but a soft heart?
Having people like Yu Longting and my mother who care so much about me in this life is enough for me.
As we passed by a tall pavilion, my mother glanced at it and introduced, "Wanwan, this is the Lin Family's main residence, where your grandfather lives."
"The attic on the top floor, is that where Qing Li lives?" I looked up at the towering structure above us.
The attic was nine stories high, topped with glazed tiles.
The golden glazed tiles reflected the silvery white moonlight, shining brilliantly.
It reminded me of Yu Longting's beautiful Snake Scales which also had a silvery shine with a hint of gold...
My mother sighed, "Indeed, your grandfather has been up there for five hours now, no telling how he and Qing Li are getting along."
"Qing Li was about to commit suicide, but was found and stopped by Sect Master in time," Zhang Che, following a step behind us, spoke up.
My mother questioned, "If her attempts to destroy the Lin Family have been discovered, and no one can punish her, why would she want to commit suicide?"
"I don't know. As I was passing by, I heard her shouting and cursing Sect Master Lin for stopping her suicide, and she also cursed Sect Master Lin for giving birth to a beast like Lin Gang," Zhang Che said, discussing someone else's affairs with an indifferent tone as calm as water.
I didn't know Zhang Che, and it wasn't my place to interject, but I was genuinely curious, "Why would Qing Li curse Lin Gang?"
"I only caught bits and pieces, and I'm not sure if I heard it right, but it seemed like Lin Gang... erased her memory, which led her to sacrifice her own daughter to the Thousand Corpses Formation," Zhang Che explained.
A chill ran through me, "So Xintang... really is... Qing Li's daughter?? Then who is Xintang's father?"
"I wouldn't know that. I was just passing downstairs when I overheard Qing Li shouting loudly and caught a few sentences."
Zhang Che noticed the wind had picked up.
He took off the outer layer of his Taoist robe and draped it over my mother's shoulders.
Yet, my mother looked at me with my hair blown disheveled by the wind, seeming troubled, as if she had wanted to take off her own clothes to cover me.
After all, being pregnant, I should be more susceptible to the cold than her.
Without saying a word, Zhang Che detached the jade-embellished brocade belt around his waist and removed his robe to drape it over me, "Miss Wan, don't catch a cold."
This man had a lanky figure, broad shoulders, and long legs.
Even in just a white undershirt, he still exuded a composed demeanor.
"..." It took me a moment, but I finally sensed something was amiss.
My mother's eyes, filled with complex emotions, looked down, "Wanwan, thank Uncle Zhang."
"Thank you... Uncle Zhang..." I mumbled.
Zhang Che maintained his composure, uttering simply, "It's what I ought to do."
The atmosphere among the three of us suddenly turned silent and still.
At the back gate, some Lin Family Disciples crowded around, watching the excitement.
Realizing my mother and I had arrived, they promptly cleared a path. Some who saw us as authority figures came up to report straightaway, "Sister, Miss Wan, Lin Gang has been thrown here to kneel, and we don't know how to handle it, so no one has dared to approach."